Lubricated rail joint



Patented Aug.` 27, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

'Ihis invention relates to an improvement in rail joints and more particularly to a practical means of properly maintaining a supply of lubricant to the fishing surfaces of the joint bars and of the rails, to prevent frozen joints in the track.

The presence of frozen rail joints in a, railway track is due not only to the rusting or corroding of the joint bars and of the rails at the fishing surfaces thereof, but also to the excessive binding engagement between th'e joint bar and the rail, when the joint parts are tightly bolted together. j Under these conditions the rails are prevented from having the necessary longitudinal relative movement to accommodate the same to expansion and contraction influences. ingly, the present invention contemplates a simple and practical means to provide for a complete and constant lubrication of the contacting metal surfaces in the joint, thereby to prevent excessive binding action and to permit proper andnecessary relative longitudinal movement of the rails within the joints.

A practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in fthe accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a sectional view of a lubricated rail joint embodying the improvement contemplated by the present invention.

Figure 2 is a detailed perspective view of a part of a, rail joint bar illustrating the application thereto of the rupturable lubricant carrier which provides for positioning and holding the lubricating material on and over the fishing surfaces of the bar.

Referring to the drawing it is shown that in carrying out the invention the same primarily contemplates associating with each joint bar I lubricant carrier units designated by the numerals 2 and 3. These units are intended to be interposed between the contacting fishing surfaces of the bar and of the rail and may, as shown, be in the form of flanged cap pieces respectively fitting over the head and foot of the bar so that when the bar is drawn into tightened position within the shing Space of the rail the said units are clamped tightly between the bar and the rail, and carrying the desired lubricating material, serve to position and hold the lubricating material on and throughout |th'e fishing surfaces thereby to prevent the freezing of the rail between and on the opposite joint bars. units may consist of a matrix or grid form of gasket of screen cloth or equivalent foraminous material and any desired or practical lubricating Accord- These lubricant carrier (Cl. 23S-161.5)

composition or material may be utilized in connection therewith. Y v

However, a practical phase of theinvention is to use a rupturable material in the making of the carrier units 2 and 3. While;` that materiaL as stated, may consist of a Very line screen cloth or coarse foraminous paper sheet, the preferable construction employed is to use for each carrier unit a very thin piece of plastic material in the form of a plastic screen cloth or grid, the interstices of which are filled with a lubricating medium such as graphite or talc. This provides a readily rupturablelubricant carrier unit which' definitely breaks down under the bolt tightening of the joint bars either when the joint bars are originally installed or when there is take-up for wear. Therefore, the lubricant carrier units while not interfering with the maintenance of tight joints, nevertheless, at the same time provide for a proper spread of the lubricating medi- Y um or material on and throughout the entire area of the fishing surfaces of the bar which contact with the corresponding fishing surfaces of fthe rail, and thus maintain at all times, and in a thoroughly practical manner, a lubricated rail joint.

While various types of plastics now available on the market may be used for the foregoing, an example of the plastic available for the purpose is nylon.

Whilevthe drawing illustrates, by way of example, fianged formations for the carrier units 2 and 3, whereby they form cap pieces which may be readily slipped over the head and foot of the bar, nevertheless, it should be understood that a suitable adhesive may be appliedto the units or mixed with the lubricating material iri the form of a paste, thus providing means for causing firm adherence of the lubricant carrier units to the metal surfaces of the joint bar so as to hold them in proper position when the joint bars are being applied to the rail ends and bolted into position.

From the foregoing it is thought that the improvement contemplated by the present'invention will be readily understood without further t description and that changes in the form and construction of the carrier units and of the material employed in lubricating the same may be resortedv ito without departing from the scope of x the appended claim.

Iclaim:

Means for lubricating rail joint structures including joint bars fitting within the fishing spaces of adjacent rail ends, said ymeans comprising, a lubricant carrier of temporary char-V` acteristics constituted by'a. strip of rupturable foraminous non-metallic material having the in-Y terstices filled with lubricant, said strip being of such thinness as not to alter the initial or subsequent t of the bars relative to the rail when the strip is interposed between th'e head and foot fishing surfaces of the joint bars and the related 4 fishing surfaces of the rail, andkwhereby, when the joint bars are drawn tight under bolt pressure, the lubricant on the carrier is forced into the contacting metal surfaces of the bar and rail 5 and the break-down of th'e carrier is effected.

EUGENE W. CARUTHERS. 

